Vacationing in Germany: Rothenburg, the medieval walled city

When you picture a quaint German town, you picture Rothenburg ob der Tauber, which translates to "Red fortress above the Tauber" [River]. It's filled with half-timbered houses and surrounded by a medieval wall with watch towers.



We enjoyed a tasty German dinner of sausages, Schnitzel and beer soon after we arrived and checked in to our hotel. (We usually prefer renting apartments but for a one-night stay, there weren't any available. For such a short stopover, it was nice to have a hotel conveniently inside the old town walls.)



That night we joined the Night Watchman tour, which I expected to be cheesy but was rather informative and funny. After a sunny and clear morning in Heidelberg, we had ditched our umbrellas only to be caught in the rain unprepared during the tour. Lucky for me a kind woman ran in and grabbed me a loaner umbrella when we passed by her hotel along the tour route. Danke schön!

The next morning I had to try a Schneeball, which is egg dough fried and then covered in powdered sugar, cinnamon, chocolate, etc. They look better than they taste. Save your money.

We checked out all the medieval torture and punishment devices at the Kriminalmuseum.

Above top right is a shame mask worn in the town square as punishment by those who acted like pigs. Bottom right is a very uncomfortable chair, no? Bottom left is a neck violin. The large hole went around the offender's neck and the small holes around the hands. A double neck violin was used to make quarreling women work out their issues. Can you say "Real Housewives"? (Disclaimer: I don't watch that show, but I can only imagine.)

Before we scooted out of town for our next destination, we took a walk along the old perimeter wall. That was pretty cool. And as a bonus, it was covered at the top, so no rain!

If you're visiting Germany, I recommend you give Rothenburg ob der Tauber at least a day, if not two. We had to skip a few recommended attractions because we were on a tight schedule. And I highly recommend you stay in the town overnight, when it's much quieter after the daily tour bus groups head back to the big city.

Has anyone else been lured in by Rothenburg's charm?

Hollie

Vacationing in Germany: Blue skies in Heidelberg

We've been in Europe for just over two weeks now, and we are exhausted! You know when you need a vacation from your vacation? Yeah, this is one of those. We turned in early tonight, so I've got a few minutes to fill you in on our second day in Germany.

After a miserable first day, we were ecstatic that the skies were blue and the sun was out when we woke up in Heidelberg. We took a tram from our apartment to the quaint Altstadt (old town) area. Even though it was probably 10am by the time we got there, it seemed like the city was just waking up.

We ate breakfast at an outdoor cafe, after spending a while translating the menu. Our server was very patient with us! Here's your German language lesson for today: Käse is cheese, Speck is bacon, and Rührei is scrambled eggs. Nouns are always capitalized, FYI.

After our leisurely meal, we walked through the baroque-style Altstadt toward Heidelberg Castle. I was surprised how clean and fresh everything looked. They obviously spend a lot of time keeping the town manicured.

The castle sits on a hill above the town, and there are three ways up -- stairs, a gradual incline, or a funicular. Guess which way we went up and which way we went down?

Yep, we're backwards. Stupid Americans. It was a crisp morning, but by the time we climbed the 315 steps, I had ripped off my trench coat and cardigan and was sweating. Oh, and let's not forget the huffing and puffing. We even got passed by a guy carrying his bike up the steps. (There are some homes along the way up the steps. Very inconvenient, but very lovely.)  And to top it off, the funicular ride was included in the cost of our castle admission. Oh well! The positive of our climbing experience was a pause midway up to pet a friendly black cat that reminded me of my kitties at home.

We took a guided tour of the castle itself, which was much swankier than medieval Marksburg Castle we had toured the day prior. In the lower level of the castle is the world's largest wine barrel. At 7 meters (23 feet) high, it's a doozy. Actually, when you first enter the area there is a giant wine barrel and we didn't realize until after we'd taken a photo and then turned the corner that it wasn't THE wine barrel. In the photo below, Zachary and Jason are standing on the right, above the barrel. Yep, it's large!

Have you ever heard of a moat that didn't hold water? Here it is. It did serve as a deterrent to enemies, but the Heidelberg Castle moat was also used for entertaining its inhabitants. Deer and bears were released into the moat area to be hunted by members of the court. (I guess they didn't realize it's like shooting fish in a barrel.)

We weren't allowed to take photos inside the castle, although I did sneak one of an amazing spiral staircase made of stone. The handrail was a continuous almost-vertical spiral down the middle. I'm such a rebel.

If we had more time, we would have crossed the Alte Brücke (old bridge) and taken the scenic "Philosopher's Way" walk for the great views, but we just had a few hours to spend in Heidelberg, so we admired the Neckar River from below the bridge instead.

This last photo is just something that cracked us up as we passed through the shopping area in the Altstadt.

If you're European or have traveled here, you may be familiar with this German brand, but we were not, so it got a chuckle from us. Very clever.

From Heidelberg, we traveled east to the medieval walled town of Rothenburg ob der Tauber. More on that next time!

Hollie

Vacationing in Germany: Marksburg Castle along the Rhine River

Today marks the end of day 5 in Germany. I'm finally getting a chance to sit down at my laptop for more than just planning out the current or next day's adventures.

Our vacation did not get off to the best start, but I still have to keep pinching myself that we are finally in Germany, after months and months of planning. (And I kept telling myself that at least it wasn't as bad as Cassie's first day in Europe.) It's been raining almost every moment since we got here, but we're trying to make the best of it.

In order to keep you reading along, I will sprinkle in photos from our tour of Marksburg Castle in Braubach, Germany. It over looks the Rhine River.

Marksburg Castle sits high atop a hill along the Rhine River

Day 0: Travel day from home to Frankfurt, Germany

Without boring you with the details, both our flights from Louisville, KY, to Newark, NJ, and from Newark to Frankfurt, Germany, were delayed. The earlier delays didn't stress us too much because we had plenty of layover cushion in Newark. But delays in Newark meant getting into Frankfurt later. (This was an overnight flight -- leaving Newark in the evening and arriving in Frankfurt the next morning. Of course we lost 6 hours as we skipped over a few time zones, so our bodies weren't sleepy until it was almost time to wake up. And if you've ever tried to sleep on a plane, you know the uncomfortable seats and constant noises don't make for a restful situation.

Nothing fancy here, just a foreboding Medieval fortress

Looking out at the Rhine Valley (much nicer views on sunny days, I'm sure)

Day 1: Castles and views along the Rhine River Valley

Because of the delays, we lost an hour or two of time on our first day in Germany. We had originally planned to drive straight (in a rental car) from the airport to Marksburg Castle along the Rhine River to catch the English tour at noon. Unfortunately we had quite a few hiccups following the GPS directions, and we ended up doubling back a few times, both on the interstate, and through the villages along the countryside. In one town, we must have driven through the same intersection at least three times. Our GPS kept telling us to go down one street, but the street was closed for construction, and it took forever to find a way out of there. On the positive side, we saw lots of quaint German villages. Interestingly, you see farmland upon farmland, then a cluster of 100 or so houses. Then farmland for a while again, then another cluster of houses. Even in the countryside, the houses aren't spread out like they are in rural U.S. I guess the farmers have to drive to their farms, because their houses were all in the villages.

Good shoes were needed to start this tour! No handicap or stroller access here, either.

Did I mention it was raining this whole time? And Jason was driving a stick shift, which he hadn't driven much since borrowing his stepdad's sportscar now and then in high school? And he had about 30 minutes of sleep overnight on the plane? Oh, and road signs were in German, of course. Made for a great time, as you can imagine.

The trip from the airport to Marksburg Castle was supposed to take just over an hour, but I'm pretty sure it took 3 hours. Once we eventually felt our way to the town of Braubach, we saw the castle high upon the hill, but we then had to figure out how to get there, which wasn't obvious. Once parked, there were many steps up the steep hill in the rain. We didn't feel like waiting an hour and a half to catch the only other English tour of the day, so we borrowed an binder with the English explanations to help us while we joined a German tour.

Cannons were used for defense

Below the window you can see the seat for the toilet. Look out below, because it was really just a hole for things to fall down outside the castle wall. Ick.

Our original itinerary included a leisurely drive up the Rhine to the town of Koblenz, then a leisurely drive down the opposite river bank to Rheinfels Castle in St. Goar, but between our delays and our GPS mishaps, we were grumpy and whooped. Instead, we just drove on to our rented apartment in Heidelberg for the night.

Lovely frescoed ceiling in the chapel

Zachary checking out the display of Medieval armor and weapons

It's quite unfortunate, because the Rhine Valley is littered with castles left and right, but we had to just jump on a highway instead of driving along the river. The rain and cloudy skies didn't exactly make for good viewing conditions anyway.

Summing it all up, day 1 was pretty much a bust. The tour of Marksburg Castle wasn't as exciting as expected. I'm sure it would have been better if we were well-rested, well-fed, hadn't just spent unnerving hours in the car, were able to join the English tour, and the weather was nicer.

Luckily day 2 was much improved. I'll fill you in on that next time. Gute Nacht! (Good night!)

Hollie

European invasion

After months and months of planning, the day is finally here. We are headed to Europe, baby! Jason (aka The Mr.) went to Spain several years ago but Zachary (aka The Teen) and I have never flown over the Atlantic Ocean.

We fly from Louisville, KY, to Newark, NJ, and then on to Frankfurt, Germany. I will have no problem sleeping on the plane but Jason, who will be driving once we get to Deutschland, may be another story. I've brought toothpicks to prop his eyes open if necessary. Hey, driving while sleepy in a foreign country where the signs are in another language shouldn't be a problem, right?

We'll be visiting Germany most of the time. My dirndl and the guys' liederhosen are packed.

Source

Ironically, we were at a somewhat-local German restaurant last weekend in celebration of Jason's grandparents' 60th wedding anniversary. It's called the Schnitzelbank, and it's about an hour away in Jasper, Indiana. I convinced my guys to try the sampler platter so we could get an idea of what some of our favorites or not-so-favorites might be when we get to Germany.

Who knows how authentic all the food was, but Zachary and I were all about the Schweineschnitzel (pork cutlet breaded and pan-fried), so we can't wait to try more!

Source

You can expect lots and lots of photos in the next weeks. I'm warning you now! In addition to several cities in Germany, we'll make a day trip into the Salzburg, Austria, area, and then spend several days in Prauge, Czech Republic. I am totally stoked. Sorry, my checked bag is full, so I can't sneak you in. My cats already tried.

Have you been  to Germany, Austria, or Czech Republic before? If so, what were your favorite things to see or do? I've done tons of research, of course, but personal recommendations are always great. Got a favorite restaurant there? Pass it along!

Hollie

3 Steps to a KICK BUTT Yard Sale

Yard sale season is upon us, so I thought I'd share some of my best tips for making lots of moolah with your own sale! Last month my son and I made a total of over $700 on our sale, and we didn't even have much in the way of big-ticket items. You can do it too!!!

1. RAID YOUR HOUSE

Just when you think your pile of yard sale items is complete, think again! We all have things we live with that we don't truly love, right? Why not turn those "meh" items into cash you can use to buy something spectacular?! Seriously, I took artwork off walls, decorative accessories off shelves, clothes out of my closet, and holiday dishes out of my cabinets. Scour every room for things you really don't need or really don't like. It will be uncomfortable, but just remember the wad of cash you'll have to go shopping for new things afterward!

Challenge everyone else in the house to do the same with their own stuff. If you let your kids keep profits off items of theirs that sell, they will be more inclined to purge some of those old toys they no longer play with that are cluttering up the place.

2. PRICE RIGHT

Make sure you price every item. Shoppers don't want to ask you for a price every time they spot something they're mildly interested in. Believe me -- they'll move on rather than go through the hassle. For similar items you might have a lot of, like books, you can post a sign reading something like "Paperbacks $1, Hardbacks $3" if that's easier.

When pricing, be unbiased and focus on what a buyer might pay for it. Try to find that sweet spot that nets you the most money, while still letting shoppers feel like they got a good deal. A good rule of thumb is 10% of the original price, but consider the condition of the item and how current it is. I don't care if you paid $75 for those Guess acid-wash in 1987. Nobody is going to pay $7.50 for them today. Unless they are shooting a period film.

On the flip side, don't sell yourself short. I was surprised how much some of my son's SpongeBob and Star Wars Lego sets are worth, and even some of his Nerf guns. Do some research on Ebay for anything that might be collectible. If you see the same item sold recently for $30 on Ebay, price it at $20 in your yard sale. If it sells, you've saved the effort and fees for putting it on Ebay. If not, you know Ebay is a back-up option. This goes for some electronics too.


Now back to my tip about being ruthless in your purging. If there's something you're not sure about parting with, price it for what you would be happy to sell it for. Maybe it's a beautiful ceramic pitcher that you adored in your "I collect ceramic pitchers and display them above my kitchen cabinets and everywhere else I can think of" phase. (Not speaking from personal experience or anything.) Sure, the pitcher is still pretty, but maybe it doesn't quite ift with your current decorating style. Instead of giving it a rock-bottom-priced-to-move price, mark it at what would make you feel okay with parting with it. If it sells, awesome. If not, you can hold on to it for a little while longer. But do this sparingly, otherwise you're going to be hauling a lot of unsold items back into your house at the end of the day!

3. BE ORGANIZED

Picture the displays at your favorite stores. Isn't it more pleasant to shop where things are organized? If you make it easier for customers to shop, they're more likely to find things to buy, rather than passing up a table full of un-sorted junk. Put like items together -- electronics in one area, kitchen stuff in another, etc.

Clothes sell better when hung, because even if you have them neatly stacked at the start of the sale, once people start picking them up and looking at them, your neat stacks will turn into a hot mess in no time. We use a long metal rod hung across one of our open garage doors. If you have a clothing rack, that's great. Or you can even hang clothes from the spreaders on the side of a tall ladder. Another clothes tip - if it's hard to find the size tag, mark it on the price sticker so people don't have to search.

One great way to entice people into your sale is to display large items closest to the curb. Frequent yard sale shoppers often just do a quick drive-by and if they don't see anything of interest right away, they move on to the next place. Popular items like furniture, bikes, and large baby or kid items are great for this.

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Successful yard sales do take effort to put together, but the rewards include less clutter in your house and more money in your pocket! For more suggestions, see my post 10 tips for hosting a successful yard sale.

Got any other tips to share? Leave me a comment!

Hollie